You were my favourite song on the radio
by swimmergirl3
Summary: this is a five-shot about Lee Fletcher and an OC that i've created. it happens before, during, and after the titan war. warning: some thoughts could be dark. Lee Fletcher/OC. please read and review.
1. no promises

**Ok so, here's the situation: switch up Lee Fletcher and Michael Yew. Basically Michael died in BotL, and Lee died in TLO on the bridge, instead of Michael. Ok? You all with me here? Btw, I don't own anything but my own characters and the plot. Oh, and also, this story isn't like it's actually happening, she's recording it on a tape recorder… so in case you were wondering.**

I'm not allowed on bridges anymore. I guess that's just dad being overprotective again. It's not like im going to jump, jeez. Im not suicidal. Sort of. So you want to know my story, is it? My story, well, my story has a bunch of flashbacks from last year. I normally don't like reliving those flashbacks; they're too painful, sometimes. But just for you, I'll go visit them, in the back of my head somewhere; wherever they went after I pushed them away.

***last August***

"_Lee!" I called to the blonde haired boy walking just ahead of me, towards the arena. His head turned, and he smiled._

"_Hey Emily, what's up?" he asked, stopping to wait for me to catch up. My brain was running a mile a minute, and I couldn't see straight, but I had to get through with this. I couldn't not do it. It just wouldn't work out that way. _

"_Lee, wanna go for a walk?" I asked, trying to be as casual as I could be. His face went from that happy son of Apollo smile, to a worried frown. _

"_Sure Em," he said, a bit quieter, taking my hand as we walked down towards the shore line. "What's wrong?" he asked in a caring tone. He knew me. It was obvious. _

_But damn him. Why did he have to be so sweet, when I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for what I was about to do?_

"_What's wrong, Lee, is that there's a war coming. And we all know it," I sighed, trying to focus. _

"_Yeah, but as long we win, everything will be alright. We can't doubt Percy. We're going to be fine," he tried to convince me. Oh, I had now doubt that he would be fine, but I was more worried about me. _

"_That's not what I mean, Lee. I- I don't want to break your heart if I don't make it. And I know that I probably won't. So I just want to get this over with, before I throw up," I rushed. Lee stopped walking and turned towards me, taking my hands with his. _

"_Emily, you're going to make it through this war, don't doubt yourself," he scolded gently, if that were possible. I looked away. I mean, I had to. I couldn't look in his eyes when I did it. I think I'd just die. _

"_Lee, I want to break up," I whispered, still looking away. He expected exactly how I though he would: he dropped my hands._

"_Em, is it jus because of the war coming? I mean, we'll make it, im sure. You- we don't have to do this, you know. We could make it. We could be the next Percy and Annabeth," he said, defending our relationship. Of course he would. Of course he would defend our relationship. That's just Lee. _

"_Lee, we're not meant to be the next Percy and Annabeth. They're not even together," I protested._

"_Yeah, but they love each other, whether they want to admit it or not. I love you, Emily. You don't have to do this, just because of some war. We will make it through this, and then it'll be alright. I promise you, Em, I promise you," he said, his voice shaking. _

"_Why are you making this so hard for me, Lee? Why is it breaking my heart, to end this because I don't want to break your heart? Why are you making this so impossible?" I whispered, raising my voice as I spoke. _

"_It's not impossible. Just don't do it!" he replied. Short. Simple. That's just Lee. _

"_Im sorry Lee, I really am, but I wouldn't be able to stand the idea of making you a promise and not being able to keep it. Im a daughter of Hermes. We're not good at keeping our promises. If I promise you that everything will be alright, it won't be. It's better if I just get it over with now, so I don't have to watch your heart break from Hades. Lee, im really sorry. Now I have to go. Bye, Lee," I whispered before tearing my hands from his, oh how magically they'd reappeared there after he had let them go. I don't even remember the sensation of his hands grabbing mine. But from that point on, I really didn't feel anything anymore._

**So im gonna make it like a flashback a chapter, but in the end it'll be kinda like a long one-shot …**

**-swimmergirl3**


	2. there's no more goodbyes

**Oh, I forgot to mention that the first chapter happened about a week before the war. Oh, and another thing. Ok, so I thought it would be cool if after the titan war, Manhattan was still destroyed and whatnot, so like, there's crumbled buildings and stuff near the empire state building. So yeah. And im changing a few things from the book, nothing major, though. Songs used in this chapter: Here Comes Goodbye –Rascal Flatts.**

Sometimes, just walking through the rubble of Manhattan makes me sad; makes me remember. Sometimes it makes me remember back to when I walked through the streets, when I was so innocent and had never seen a war, let alone been in the middle of one. It makes me sick to think that the Gods could let it come to this, and then I remember what started the war in the first place: resentment of the gods. I hadn't known Luke very well, since I'd only come to camp the year Percy went to retrieve the Master Bolt, but I could see the devastation it caused the camp. How shell shocked they were, after hearing of how Luke tried to kill Percy. I remember that I was glad Percy had survived the scorpion poison, but I was confused, of all things. But then again, i was only twelve at the time, so I really didn't know all that much about the dangers, and the sacrifices that demigods have to deal with their entire life. It still scares me, even though I know the pain. But now that im older, four years can really make a difference. I'm in no way the same person I was back then, which always makes me wonder why one person stuck through it with me. All the ups, and all the downs, all the doubts, and all the fears.

***flashback* **

_Those last few days before the war had been crazy; I kept myself busy with things to do, messages to run, and training to prepare for what was too quickly coming. I had to keep myself busy, so that my mind wouldn't wander around, subject to subject like it loves to do on a regular basis. Normally I don't mind though, that's just the ADHD. But it was a shock that one day when we all piled into the camp vans, prepared and armed for battle. _

_Though nobody was ready for it. _

_But here I am, ransacking a store for medical supplies, hearing screams and weapons clashing and calls to one another all around. I've always had a tinge of guilt if I stole something from the camp store, or even smuggled in some coke for our black-market. But right here, right now, all I knew was that I had to get these supplies back to the Apollo cabin before too many lives were lost. Most of the Apollo cabin was up on Olympus, tending to injured campers, but their best fighters were out in the city fighting. I believe most of them were the older kids; the ones with more experience and training. I think that Percy had sent them over to Williamsburg Bridge, to block off the entrance to Manhattan from Brooklyn. _

_I started wondering how they were holding up, if Lee was ok, but then I remembered that we weren't together anymore. We weren't two peas in a pod; we weren't the pop to each others tart, or whatever the Aphrodite kids used to tell us. It was Emily, and Lee. Not Emily and Lee. Not anymore. _

_I needed a distraction to stop thinking about it, so I called out to my brother Travis._

"_Hey Travis! D'we need any pain killers?" I shouted across the drug store._

"_Sure! Take as many as you can get!" He called back. _

_The only sound in the store for a few more minutes was the rustling of my brothers and sisters grabbing things off the shelves, and the metallic sound of their backpacks being zipped up. Then there was a ring. I heard nothing but murmurs for a few minutes; I think they were coming from Connor's cell phone. Then a click and a shout:_

"_Guys! We need to get back to the plaza right now! Big injury, Apollo cabin needs supplies!" called Travis and Connor as they ran for the doors with their backpacks stuffed, and numerous shopping bags full. My siblings followed quickly, their backpacks full as well. _

_We ran through the streets of Manhattan, dodging battles, cars parked in the street, and random poles. We couldn't see very well, being that it was probably just after three AM, but we knew our way enough to make it back to the hotel without any trouble. Once there, we were sent to the conference room where the makeshift infirmary was, but Travis and Connor pulled a few of us to go to the terrace where the 'big injury' was._

_Travis had a list, and Everytime he called out something, one of my sisters or brothers would hand it to my sister Kaithlyn and I and we would put it in a bag to be delivered to the terrace. As soon as the bag was full, and the list completely checked off, we were running up the stairs, thankful that all children of Hermes were good runners. By the time we reached the terrace, and pushed through the crowd of people, only then we found out that the big injury everyone was talking about was Annabeth. Of every other camper who could be injured and so close to death, it had to be her. This only made me more determined to do whatever I could to help her stay alive. And not just because she was a good person, and would be missed by so many, but because if she died, Percy would never be the same. He'd be crushed. _

_Just as that thought passed through my brain; there came the hero, dragging Will Solace by the arm. The crowd dispersed as they reached the area where Annabeth was lying on a makeshift cot, covered in blankets but still shivering like it was -40 __**(im Canadian, so its Celsius)**__. _

_I half expected Percy to break out crying, or yelling, or something at least, but all he could do was stand there, looking very lost with his mouth hanging open, looking like he was trying to say something, but words weren't coming out. _

"…_. A-Annabeth…." He finally managed as Will assessed the injury. His face was grim, but he told Annabeth to be very still as he cleaned out the wound with Nectar. Every ounce that touched the wound, Annabeth clasped Percy's hand harder, and it started to turn red. It was looking rather blue and purple when Will was finally finished cleaning the wound, humming a hymn to his father, and wrapping the wound in some white gauze that we had brought from the drug store. _

_When all was said and done, Percy, Annabeth, Will and I were the only campers left on the terrace. I turned to leave, but someone caught my arm before I could. _

"_Emily, I think you should know something," said Percy solemnly. "You too, Will," he said as Will walked over towards where we were standing beside a sleeping Annabeth. _

"_Yes?" he asked, looking very tired. _

"_Y-You know how I sent your siblings to the Williamsburg bridge, right?" he asked, looking directly at Will._

"_Yeah, but I got swept away by some campers, heading towards Broadway I think," he said, looking totally confused._

"_Well, I-I'm not really sure what to say, but, I thought you guys should be the first to know that, well, yenno how Lee was leading the cabin?" he said carefully, looking back and forth between Will and me. Then it hit, just a split second before Percy spoke again. My knees started shaking so hard, I fell to the ground._

"_H-He didn't make it back. He fell off the bridge when he was helping me create a chasm to separate the enemies from getting across the bridge. I-I'm so sorry, Will. And Emily, I know that, well, you guys had something special. I'm sorry guys. I really, really am," he said before leaving to go sit beside Annabeth. _

_At the moment, I thought he was lying. Lee promised everything would be ok, even if I didn't promise him that, __**he**__ had promised __**me**__. I wanted to punch Kronos right in the face, right in that smug little face of his. Even if it was really Luke being trapped inside and taken over by Kronos, I wanted him dead. An eye for an eye. _

_That morning, I went to my hotel room I was sharing with three of my siblings, and sat on my bed. After a while of them asking me what was wrong, I finally got fed up of all the questions. Couldn't I just be alone for one single moment? No? _

"_Lee's dead," I whispered quickly before getting up and practically running out of the room. I don't know how long I ran, and I don't know why I did it, but when I stopped running, I was somewhere in central park. _

_I knew it was very dangerous for me to be out there alone, and I knew I should've been getting some sleep for the up-coming battle tonight, but I didn't care. I just found an empty bench, sat down, and for the first time since that night only about a week ago, I cried. _

_I guess I cried so hard, that I didn't realize someone was sitting next to me. but when I did, my first instinct was to reach for my sword, and kill them. Good thing they caught it before I could. Demigod instinct, sorry. _

_I looked up, and almost died right then and there. at first, I had thought it was Lee, but then I realized it wasn't. there were only very few characteristics that gave Apollo away from his son. Like his eyes; his eyes were gold, and Lee's were green with hints of blue. And the face. it was very similar, but Apollo's grim smile was distant, not warm and welcoming like Lee's was. Other then that, I swear they could've been twins, not father and son. _

"_Lord Apollo, shouldn't you be fighting Typhon?" I asked before I could turn on my 'word filter' – otherwise known as my brain. He chuckled, but it sounded cold. _

"_I should be, but this seemed more important to me. Now Emily, I'm not here to comfort you about my sons ….. my sons death, but there was one last thing he wanted to give you before he, well, you know," he said, looking down at his hands, neatly placed in his lap. _

"_He wanted to give me something?" I asked, confused as to why he had even thought of me the moment before his death. I'd broken his heart just a few days ago, hadn't i? _

"_He wanted you to know that he forgave you for what you did, and that he understood that you were only trying to protect him. But yes, he wanted to give you something. Normally, this is a very sentimental object to my children, and they use it everyday, and they might just die without it. and usually, if one of my children happens to perish, then this goes with them. Each one is personal. I've blessed Lee's for you, because that's what he wanted. I have to leave you, but I'll make sure you make it back safely to the hotel; a few enemy demigods have been stalking you for a while now, but I'll make sure they …. Go away. Thank you, Emily, for making the last year of Lee's life the best he could've ever happened. I honestly thank you," said Apollo, before standing and taking something out of his pocket. _

_The entire time he spoke, I'd been wondering what he was talking about. There'd be so many things that could be personal to each child of Apollo, but I could only think of one thing. _

_What he handed me, was an Ipod, with headphones to match the green case. It was about the size of my palm, and the screen was covered with a screen protector. I turned it over in my hands, just admiring the green case as it sparkled in the early morning sun. _

"_T-Thank you," I whispered. Apollo gave me a sad smile, before turning and walking away down the sidewalk. _

_I did the first thing I could think to do with an Ipod; I put the headphones on. I unlocked the touch screen, and went straight to the music. I searched through almost three thousand songs, but I still couldn't find anything I wanted to listen to. There was every song, every genre, everything on this Ipod; but nothing that I wanted to hear. _

_I thought I had accidentally put it on shuffle when a song started playing, but I realized this song didn't sound like a studio song. It sounded acoustic, and fresh. I listened to the lyrics, before figuring out that I knew this voice._

_**I can hear her say "I love you" like it was yesterday  
>And I can see it written on her face that she had never felt this way<br>One day I thought I'd see her with her daddy by her side  
>And violins would play Here Comes The Bride<br>But here comes goodbye  
>Here comes the last time<br>Here comes the start of every sleepless night  
>The first of every tear I'm gonna cry<br>Here comes the pain  
>Here comes me wishing things had never changed<br>And she was right here in my arms tonight  
>But here comes goodbye<strong>_

_It was __**his**__ voice. It was __**him**__ singing. I just knew it. He had sung for me before, but it sounded different then most songs listened to on the radio, or on an Ipod. It sounded like I was sitting right next to him, and he was strumming his favourite guitar. _

_I closed my eyes, and just listened. I wanted to cry again, but there was nothing left. Only two tears fell down my cheeks as I sang along to the song in my head, listening to Lee's voice in my head, trying to memorize it word for word he sang. _

_***end of flashback***_

That first time, I didn't realize something that probably would've killed me then and there. Now, whenever I miss Lee, I stick in those same headphones that never seem to break, and listen to him sing from Elysium.

**SO! That was my latest chapter, and I think it was ok. I liked the last part, but of course, I can't really say that about my own writing; it might be considered conceited :P but still. So, if you are interested in listening to the song, here's the link to Youtube:**

**http: /www. youtube. com /watch?v =1Uq3nI11w4g&feature=relmfu (without the spaces). This video always ALWAYS makes me cry. It's just so sad D': but anyways. Please review!**

**`Swimmergirl3**


	3. somewhat of a goodbye

**This is pretty much Lee's POV of the last part of chapter two, in case you might get confused…**

**Lee's POV**

_I watched my father appear behind a bench in central park, upon which was a crying girl. At that point, I didn't know why my dad told me to watch, but then I understood when I realized who the girl was. _

_Why it was Emily, of course._

_Then everything clicked into place. My final thought, my final moment on earth. That's why my dad was there. I watched as he sat down, and waited for a few moments before she realized he was there. Then on instinct she reached for her sword, but my fathers hand stopped hers. _

_I watched as he spoke to her, but I couldn't really understand what he was saying; my hearing was fuzzy. It wasn't the clean sound I was accustomed to, being a child of Apollo, we have very good hearing. But my ears seemed to be filled with something, so it made everything sound like it was underwater. I wondered why, but didn't give it a second thought when I heard Emily's voice, crystal clear. _

"_He wanted to give me something?" she asked Apollo. _

_Then more garbles talking from my dad. Then he stood, and took my Ipod out of his pocket. I admired the case my mom had bought me from an Apple store in London, England. She's a stewardess, you see. That's how she met my dad; he was flying all the way to Greece. I don't know why he didn't just poof himself there, but then again, if he hadn't gone on that plane, I wouldn't be here right now._

_Oh wait, never mind. Im dead. I remember that now. The sensation of hitting the water probably wasn't as painful as it should've been. Though that might be because I accepted death at that very moment I fell off of that bridge. Before, I'd been afraid to die, but now that im sitting in an apartment in Elysium, my own apartment where I will be for the rest of forever, its not so bad. I've got my favourite guitar, autographed by some of my famous siblings, all of my memories, all of my photo's, but I don't have Emily. _

_I realize now that forever without her is going to be lonely. But I guess I can get by until it's her time to come join me. Surely I can talk Nico into getting his dad to let her come live here in Elysium with me; otherwise I'm sure Aphrodite could. _

_But this thought was only a millisecond in my mind, as I watched my dad walk away down the sidewalk, leaving Emily standing there, admiring the dark green case in the morning sun. That's another thing that I'd miss. I'd miss the sun. But that seems so stupid; to miss the sun when there are so many more things I could miss. Like my mom, Hades, what the hell's going to happen to my mom? She'll be crushed. And my siblings? What's going to happen to them? I guess Will is going to become counsellor now, because he's technically the oldest, but how will the move on from losing two of their counsellors in not even two summers? I'm most worried about little Maria, though. What's she going to think? I had promised her that everything would be ok, hadn't i? _

_Of course, I'd also promised Emily the same thing. How was she going to hold up? _

_I turned off my thoughts for the moment, and just watched the floating scene in front of me. Emily was searching through the songs on my Ipod, oh; there must be around three or four thousand on there. All genres, all artists, and almost every song you could ever hear in your life. Even a few covers done by me and my siblings during our phases. Oh, yeah, I'm going to miss those. Every week was a different 'phase' for the Apollo cabin. I think the most recent were Hedley, Nickelback, Metallica (long story, don't ask), and oh yeah … there was also Ke$ha. That one almost got us murdered by the Ares cabin, and believe me; they had most of the camp to back them up. Only the Aphrodite kids really enjoyed that phase, though. Got off track there, didn't i?_

_I sat there, on the front porch of my apartment building, with my guitar in my hands, as I watched her beautiful face become frustrated. But I could only think of one thing. One thing, that's it. _

_I didn't get to say goodbye, and I guess I never would. Without really thinking about it, I started strumming my guitar. It was second nature, really. I didn't even need to look at the chords, I could just play. A familiar melody came through my mind as I remembered a song from one of my favourite phases: Rascal Flatts. I know I wouldn't seem to be the kind of boy who would actually like country music, but when Rascal Flatts was chosen from the bucket of bands and artists, I had a newfound respect for country music. _

_I didn't get to say goodbye, but this song could say it for me._

_I sang the song quietly, trying not to draw any attention from passing spirits, but that never works. Not when you're a son of Apollo with a voice. Never. A few girls and a few boys gathered around in front of me, but I didn't mind. I liked being heard. I'd tuned out my own voice, until I realized that it was the cue to start singing my favourite part of the song._

_**I can hear her say "I love you" like it was yesterday  
>And I can see it written on her face that she had never felt this way<br>One day I thought I'd see her with her daddy by her side  
>And violins would play Here Comes The Bride<strong>_

_**But here comes goodbye  
>Here comes the last time<br>Here comes the start of every sleepless night  
>The first of every tear I'm gonna cry<br>Here comes the pain  
>Here comes me wishing things had never changed<br>And she was right here in my arms tonight  
>But here comes goodbye<strong>_

_I hadn't realized until just now, how perfect this song really was. How much it spoke what my life was like. I hate it when songs do that._

_I hoped she heard me. Though I'm sure she didn't. Wouldn't that be perfect? If she could hear me sing to her, just one more time? Man, I wish. I wish I could say goodbye, kiss her, and tell her I love her, all just one last single time. But there's no point wishing now, I didn't get to say goodbye, and I never would. I'd only get to say hello again, when her time comes. _

_I know this might sound bad, but I hope it comes soon. Or I at least hope time passes quickly here, in Elysium. I can't wait until I get to see her again, until I get to hold her again, and until I get to whisper I love you, over and over again._

**I KNOW I KNOW! Really short chapter, sorry :$ I hope it wasn't too confusing, because it kind of seemed like it was all over the place in the middle. Oh well. I hope you can keep up with what's going on, in this chapter, all of Lee's thoughts, and whatnot. So, please review (:**

**~Swimmergirl3**


	4. im so far from away

**Songs used in this chapter: Next to You by Chris Brown ft. Justin Bieber. Yeah, i know, i don't really love Justin Bieber ( i respect him as an artist), but i just happen to really like this song. And also Far Away by Nickelback. I'd originally planned to use this song in the previous chapter, but i felt like it fit better here. So yeah. And by the way, i don't own any characters that i didn't invent, or this song.**

**Emily's POV**

Don't call me crazy, or insane, or suicidal, or any of those names, because believe me, i already know. It's not like i plan on jumping off the bridge, but sometimes, i definitely feel like it. Camp's just not the same anymore, and not just for me, but for everyone. Ever since the war, when so many people died, everyone kind of just wanders around, training, and looking lost.

Sometimes i think that we would've been better off if we had just lost the war, and all died, because honestly? It's easier to die, then to watch people you love die, and then have to go on with life as if it never happened. Even if you might find someone else, it's not a guarantee. It's not like Aphrodite says 'oh, well, her boyfriend died, so I'm going to make her fall in love with this other guy'. No, she doesn't do that. It would go against the rules of love.

And even if Aphrodite did do that, you still wouldn't be the same. Nobody's ever the same after loosing someone they love, i would know. And gods, i know I'm not the only one who feels this way, because so many people have lost their siblings, and i know how much that hurts. I lost a few too. All that I'm trying to say, is that it's not fair. But i guess we have to deal with it, because guess what, people? No matter how hard you try, or what you do, life is not, and never ever will be fair.

So deal with it.

But sometimes, it's hard to deal with it. So all you can do, is find someone else to go through it with you, and then it doesn't seem half as bad as before, right? But what happens, when you lose that person? What happens then? Nobody told me what it was going to be like, to lose Lee. And Hell, i didn't think i would. If anything, i thought he was going to lose me. That's probably why it hurt so much. I'd only prepared myself for a goodbye, not having no final goodbye. That, i wasn't ready for in the slightest.

That's the reason i always find myself wandering around a ruined Manhattan, making my way towards the Williamsburg bridge, just to stand there, and look into the waters below, imagining what it would be like to hit the water after falling from way up here. I bet it would hurt. But what am i gonna do? Try it? No, I'd never do that. I'd never do that to my siblings. Committing suicide would be like killing my family. I would never do that. I know i keep saying that, but I'd never ever in my life think about hurting my siblings, or my dad, gods, what would my dad think?

When i finally reached the bridge, what else is there to do but go to the side, and look over the edge? So i do exactly that, every single time. Nothing different, because hell, something might happen.

I walked over towards the place where the suspension cords are the only thing holding up the bridge; the spot where there's a golden bow and quiver laid against the rail. And no, if you're wondering, i didn't put it there. The camp thought it was appropriate that the weapons of all the campers lost, were placed at the spot of their untimely death.

I reached the rail, and looked down. The water beneath me was churning and flowing like nothing had ever happened, like nobody had been lost. But it was water, why would it care? I didn't expect the river to tell me that it was sorry for killing Lee, because then i would be declared mentally insane and be sent to a bouncy room, where i would presumably stay for the rest of my life, claiming that my dad was a Greek god, and that i needed to go help my godling friends fight monsters. Yeah. Wouldn't work out to well, eh? Didn't think so either.

But these thoughts kept running through my mind, on replay as i watched the water like i do most days. Then, for the first time ever, i heard music. No, im not stupid, i wasn't listening to Lee's Ipod. I heard music, coming from somewhere on the other side of the bridge, and it sounded like it was getting closer.

I tried to make out the words, but it was hard. I was literally straining my ears so hard they were ringing which wasn't making it any better. So i stopped. If it was getting closer, then I'd hear it eventually, no?

So i waited. I waited, until i could clearly hear the words, but i couldn't see anybody. I'd heard the song, and i knew the lyrics. It was Next to You by Chris Brown, featuring Justin Bieber. Didn't like Bieber much, but i respected his work as an artist. Who am i to judge? It's not like i can sing to save my life.

As i heard the song play, i listened to the words.

_One day when the sky is falling,_

_I'll be standing right next to you, _

_right next to you._

_Nothing will ever come between us,_

_I'll be standing right next to you, _

_right next to you._

The words were perfect. Or, would've been if Lee was still here. But for some reason, i felt like it was Lee telling me this. But then, i realized that there was a boy on the other side of the bridge, standing there, looking at me as if i were the strangest thing on earth. I don't blame him. I bet i looked like a mess. My long brown hair was down, but it was messily straightened, i was wearing a pair of dark grey sweats, and one of Lee's old sweaters over a light blue tank top. I probably looked like i should be passed out asleep in bed. But oh well. Why did i even care?

The boy, on the other hand, was wearing dark-wash skinny jeans, a black slim fitting T-shirt that had some band name, sneakers and black Aviator sun glasses sitting in his light blonde hair. He reminded me of what's-his-face, yenno, that guy. Gods, i can't remember his name. Oh, yes! That's it! He reminded me of Cody Simpson, that Australian dude **(THAT I LOVE)**. But i could tell it wasn't him.

For a moment or two, we just stood there looking at each other. Next to You kept playing from the Dr. Dre headphones around his neck. Then, he lifted his hand, and waved. I had really no choice but to wave back, of course. So i did.

"What's your name?" he shouted across the chasm separating Brooklyn from Manhattan.

"Emily, yours?" i called back.

"It's Theo, nice to meet you Emily," he yelled back. I found myself smiling as i walked towards the edge of the bridge. He did the same. So now, we were standing only about twenty feet apart, instead of fifty.

"Why were you looking over the edge? Going to jump?" he joked.

"Thinking about it," i replied miserably. My answer wiped the smile off of his face.

"Now why is that?" he asked, probably curious now.

"Because my boyfriend died last year, when he fell off this bridge," i told him. I found that he was extremely easy to talk to, which is hard for me to say, since I've distanced myself from everyone in my life since last summer.

"I'm sorry about that. Is that why there's a gold bow sitting there? I've always wondered," he commented.

"Yeah, that was his," i replied, not even thinking about how he had known that it was a bow. It probably looked like one of those road-side crosses you see on highways on the spot of where someone died in a car accident, to a mortal. But i didn't give it a second thought.

"Son of Apollo?" he guessed. I did a double take. "Oh, sorry, i guess i forgot to introduce myself. Lets do this properly. I'm Theo Le Garda, son of Minerva," he said, giving me a grin.

"Emily Ceres, daughter of Hermes, or, well, Mercury to you, i guess," i said, squirming. It felt weird, talking to a Roman demigod. I know I'd talked to Jason before, but this was different.

"Nice to meet you, Emily. So I'm guessing you're from Camp Half Blood?" he asked.

"Well, originally I'm from Florida, but yeah, I've lived at camp since i was twelve, so, five years, i guess," i replied, looking down at the water underneath the bridge.

"So you're seventeen, then. I'm turning nineteen in a month," he said, "I've been at LC since i was eight," he told me, sitting down on the Brooklyn side of the bridge. I figured i wasn't going anywhere, so i sat down too.

"What's LC?" i asked.

"Legion Camp, sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly.

I don't know why i felt compelled to ask this, but it just came out of my mouth before the filter turned on.

"Why are you on the bridge?" i asked. He looked up, and i saw that i had caught him. His mouth was open, like he wanted to choke on something, and from what i could see, his eyes were wide.

"Because ... this is where i used to come when i was just a kid. My dad used to take me here when he was doing business in Brooklyn. He was a historian, researching ancient Egypt. Most of the time, i think he took me here, hoping that i would fall off," he admitted, looking down at his hands.

"That's horrible," i said, feeling bad that i made him tell me.

"My reason for coming here is worse then yours, though. You're boyfriend died here. I come here to remind myself that it's still an option. Falling off, i mean," he said, looking me dead in the eye.

"Please don't," i said.

"Why? It's not like anyone would really care if i didn't come back to camp, even my mother, for gods' sakes!"

"Athena's not like that," i tried to defend her from her son.

"But Minerva is. She only looks after her smartest children, the ones who have the potential to become heroes. I'm not like my siblings, as you can probably tell," he said grudgingly.

"Hey, just because you have the same godly parent, doesn't mean that you all have to be exactly alike. Believe me, I'd know," i told him.

"But she just doesn't care!" he exploded. I didn't expect it, and i found myself flinching.

"Then that's her problem, not yours," i said, trying to play to Minerva, not Athena. I've met Athena, she's nothing like what Theo said Minerva's like.

"But it is my problem, i can't go to camp without being laughed at, or made fun of. Did you know I'm the only kid in my cabin that's ever gotten a A? An A! Do you know how stupid i feel in that cabin, surrounded by my siblings?" he demanded. I didn't respond, because, of course, i didn't know. That highest I'd ever gotten was a B, and that's without the help of my dyslexia, thank you very much.

"Well, of course you wouldn't," he scolded himself, "I'm sorry about that, it's just that I've had so much anger built up from the years of harassment and being yelled at by Lupa to be more like my siblings. Even my dad, Emily. The last words he said to me, when he left me at the Wolf House, were 'i thought children of Minerva were supposed to be smart'. And i can never get those words out of my head. They're always there, reminding me that I'm not good enough. Always," he told me.

"I-I don't know what to say,Theo, i mean, I've never had to go through that. I don't know what it's like. But if it's hurting you so much, why don't you just stop going back? I mean, can't you fend for yourself somewhere away from camp?" i asked.

"I've never given it much though. Lupa's always said that if she caught us trying to escape, that we'd be her lunch. To be honest? She kind of scares the Pluto out of me," he said, cracking a small grin.

"Yeah, I've met Chiron. I wouldn't want to be on his bad side," i said jokingly. He gave me a grateful smile, and i had to return it. It felt nice talking to someone who hadn't been affected by the war, which brought up another question.

"Theo, where were you guys during the second titan war?" i asked, playing with the unravelling hem of my sweats. I looked up just in time for him to look down at his hands, folded neatly on his lap.

"We were collapsing the temple on Mt. Tam, 'cause that's where LC is; in San Francisco. When we heard about how bad the situation on Olympus was, with Typhon and all, we wanted to help, but Lupa wouldn't listen. She said it was nonsense, that we would want to help the Greeks. But some of us rebelled, and snuck out during the battle, and we found our way to Manhattan, through Brooklyn, but by the time we got here, well, we had some followers," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

I was confused, but yet, i still knew what he was talking about.

"You were here, at this bridge, when the reinforcements came?" i asked, looking straight at him. He looked defeated.

"Yeah," he said, his voice quiet.

"You were there, right before Lee died," i said, still in disbelief.

"Yeah,"

"And you saw him fall, didn't you?" i asked. My heart was pounding inside my chest. I couldn't believe that this complete stranger, had been there to witness Lee's death, and i hadn't.

But, it's probably better that i hadn't been there, otherwise, i'd be walking into street lights, and fire-hydrants, blinded by the replaying scene in my mind, over and over and over. I don't think that i'd be able to cope with that.

After a few moments of intense silence, he finally gave in.

"I saw someone fall, but i didn't know who it was. After he fell, the reinforcements, or whatever was left of them, pulled back. When we found out that they were pulling back, we got the hell out of there, not wanting to destroy Brooklyn. But i can still remember the sight of a body falling into the river, and the splash. Gods, if anything, i remember the splash," he said, digging the heel's of his palms into his eyes, as if trying to erase a bad memory.

I stayed silent. I wasn't mad at him, it wasn't his fault that Lee had fallen. I just had nothing to say. I've had a lot of moments when I've had nothing to say, these last few months. And by gods, the only day i think I'm capable of making this trip, on the one day that would make it all worse, i find out that Lee could've been saved. If the roman campers had taken out the reinforcements from behind, Lee would've still been here, and we would be at camp right now, sitting by the bonfire, or getting ready for capture the flag by the looks of the sun setting in the sky.

Then i wondered how long i'd been here, sitting, and talking with Theo. And how long i'd been gone from my mom's apartment here in Manhattan, that was constantly empty except for me. That's the first time that day that i had the courage to pull out that Ipod, and unwind the headphones. I could see Theo looking at the Ipod out of the corner of my eye, but all i did was put in one headphone, and hit shuffle. I knew that if i was lucky, i wouldn't hear a studio version song. I knew that if i was lucky, Lee would be ready to sing down there in Elysium.

Funny, he's always had the funniest ways of communicating, i thought to myself. I remember one day, when he first started to like me, he wanted to ask me to the fireworks. And instead of just straight up asking me, he filled my cabin with one hundred bright red balloons that all said 'Emily, will you go to the fireworks with me? -Lee'. I know i really remember that day, because Connor and Travis freaked out, and forbade me to go with Lee to the fireworks, because they had some strange 'sixth sense' kind of feeling that he was secretly trying to lure me to the woods to rape me. Don't ask, because even i don't know what that was about.

But instead, what i got, was definitely not Lee singing, it was Eminem.

_So when I'm gone, _

_just carry on, don't mourn,_

_rejoice every time, you hear the sound of my voice._

_just know that, im looking down on you smilin;_

_and i didn't feel a thing, _

_so baby don't feel my pain, _

_just smile back._

Just smile back, i thought. How could i smile back, when i know that Lee's gone? But this is what he was telling me: just smile back. So i tried. I honestly tried to smile, but it only felt like a twitch. I sighed, and stood up. Theo still had his face in his hands, obviously feeling guilty.

I walked over towards the railing, and looked down.

_And i didn't feel a thing,_

_so baby don't feel my pain, just smile back. _

I remember those words. Someone said them to me once. It wasn't a camper though, i think it was my best friend, Maria. But now, the water seemed less dark, less ominous then it did an hour or two ago. It almost looked inviting.

I thought about climbing the rail, just to see what it would feel like, but i couldn't. I couldn't make myself do it. So instead, when the song faded out, i just leaned on it, waiting for another to soon follow. It took about thirty seconds, before i heard the guitar being strummed, and i immediately knew the chords, but the voice. The voice i knew very well.

Lee was singing to me.

_This time, this place, _

_misused, mistakes. _

_Too long, too late, who was i to make you wait? _

_Just one chance, just one breathe, just in case there's just one left, _

_cause you know, _

_you know, _

_you know. _

_I loved you, _

_i loved you all along. _

_And i miss you, been far away for far too long._

_I keep dreaming, you'll be with me and you'll never go, _

_stop breathing, if i don't see you anymore._

i don't know when it happened, and how i hadn't noticed it, but Theo had left. I was alone again, which seemed to bother me much more then it usually did. I'd always hated the feeling of being alone, but these last few months, i'd tolerated it for my own sake, and that of others around me.

Then it hit me. I was alone. I was alone, but i had people all around me, asking if i was ok. But i wasn't. I was far from it. I didn't realize how close i'd actually come to insanity, when i thought that everything would be ok. It never will be, after this moment. See? Even my brain can't fool me into thinking everything would be alright. Because the worlds not fair. And i, should definitely know that by now. So why did i even try to think it would be?

I was on the railing, finding my balance before i even realized what i was doing. The Ipod was neatly leaning against the golden bow, so that i wouldn't be able to tempt myself, to listen to him play one more time before i met with him, in the underworld.

**Ok, i know, the last part was very intense. Sorry :$ this chapter has taken me a long time to write, and i don't know why. But i guess it's ok. Probably not my best piece of writing ever, but i needed to update. And i apologize if the ending didn't make sense, but basically she has this big moment when she realizes that nothing is going to be ok, in the end. Suicidal, i know. Sorry man, i don't mean to be all depressing, lol. I plan on only having one more chapter, after this one, and that will be the ending. So, please review! **

**-Swimmergirl3 **


	5. just smile back, it's all i ask

**SO! this is gonna be the last chapter, i know ): I'm sad about it too! I actually really like this story, because Lee Fletcher is one of my absolute favourite characters in the series, even though he's not ever mentioned until BotL when he dies (Which made me cry, by the way). So yeah, i think he's under appreciated, so i decided to make him have a bigger part in the books. Sorry Michael Yew :P oh, and BTW, i don't own anything.**

Beeping. Beeping? What's beeping? It sounded like my alarm clock, but i knew it couldn't be. This didn't feel like my bed, and besides, i don't use my alarm clock anymore. But something kept beeping, and i was starting to wonder what it was.

When i opened my eyes, it was white. After they adjusted, i looked around to see where i was. I was in someone's room, where i had never been before. My brain started to freak out, before i saw the people sitting around me. Which shouldn't of been possible, because they were all supposed to be dead. I saw Luke, and Silena, and Beckendorf, and Castor, and well, pretty much most of the campers who had died in the last four years, gathered around me.

I sat up, and immediately felt woozy.

"Whoa, better lay back down there, Em, don't want to overwhelm yourself," said my sister Jamie, who'd died in the Battle of the Labyrinth.

"Jamie? Why am i here? I don't think I'm dead," i said, following her instructions, and laying back against the gold pillows on the big, soft bed i was lying on. I looked around the room, and saw band posters, instruments, and pictures everywhere. The pictures, though, are what tipped me off to where i really was.

They were pictures of Lee and i. Placed all around the walls, and the furniture. Some of them were framed, and others just tapped or tacked to the wall. My favourite picture of us, though, was framed on the bedside table. It was a picture of Lee and i, hugging in the streets of Manhattan, the year before the war, when everything was just winding up, and Kronos hadn't fully reformed yet. When Lee and i had only been together for about nine months, in that picture. It was winter out, because it was only four months after Battle of the Labyrinth, so it was snowing. We were both on winter break, so we decided to go out for lunch, one day.

**Flashback**

"_Lee, why did i ever agree to this? It's so damn cold!" i complained, shivering in my winter coat. He laughed and grabbed my hand as we continued to walk down the street. "I hate you sometimes," i grumbled._

"_Oh, believe me, i know," he said, still laughing at me. _

"_How long until we get there?" i asked, looking down the unusually empty sidewalk, trying to find where Lee was taking us. _

"_Oh, only about two or three more minutes, i mean, if you can handle that," he asked, seriously._

"_Oh shut up, i don't complain all that much," i said, partially offended on the inside._

"_Nah, not as much as your siblings when we went through our Justin Bieber phase," he said, cracking a grin. _

"_Ok, i know he's my half brother, but honestly, where did Hermes go wrong with him?" i asked, throwing my hands up in the air, getting some weird looks from the people brave enough to be out in this kind of weather, though it was the middle of the day. I dropped my hands, and realized i should've lowered my voice, but giggled._

"_Gods, i swear, if mortals ever found out about the Gods, it would be all your fault," he said, giving me a smile to know he was just kidding as he turned and opened the door to some restaurant. _

_Once we got our table, and were looking at the menu, did i realize that Lee always offends me._

"_I just realized something," i said, my eyes skimming over the menu in front of me._

"_Yeah?" asked Lee, his eyes never leaving the menu as well._

"_You always offend me," i said, pouting slightly. He raised an eyebrow, and put down his menu, pulling mine down with his._

"_Yeah, but you love me anyways," he said, giving me a small grin while picking up my hand, and kissing the back._

"_Oh shut up," i said, smiling back._

"_So, I'm Evan and I'll be your server today," said a young guy, maybe sixteen, holding a waitress pad and pen. We immediately picked our menu's back up, and ordered our food and drinks. _

"_So a bacon cheeseburger, and a rack of ribs, with two cokes?" he asked, re-reading our order._

"_Yes," said Lee, probably hoping that the guy would leave, by the way he kept looking at me. _

"_Ok," he said, then left. _

_When we got our food, i finished first. Lee's jaw was on the floor._

"_You eat like a tank!" he said, totally shocked._

"_Lee, it was only one rack, I've finished two in less time before. Have you never seen the Hermes cabin rib eating contests at dinner? I'm the reigning champ, gods," i said, giving him my best 'girly' smile. He was still shocked._

_Lee ended up not finishing his burger, blaming me for making him loose his appetite, but i just made fun of him as we exited the restaurant, hand in hand._

_We walked down the sidewalk towards central park, to go to his favourite ice cream place. Yes, it might be -30 out, but who cares? Its ice cream, man. As we walked, we talked. We didn't talk about much, just camp, and how everything was going back at home. _

"_How's your mom?" i asked, semi quietly because i knew it was a touchy subject with him._

"_She's ... worse. Instead of crying, she just kind of sits there now. The doctors told her about three weeks ago that she'll probably have to go through radiation treatment again, sometime in the next few weeks. I told her that i would stay home with her, this week, but she told me to go to camp to see you. She knows what makes me happy, but i can't help feeling like I'm letting her down. I just, i don't know," he said, looking away from me. I knew what he was feeling, this wasn't the first time he'd told me about his mom. She had cancer, but she was always looking out for what made Lee happy. If he was feeling down, she'd send him to camp, or to see me. That was how she worked. I loved her to death, and i can't believe how much it would kill Lee if she ... yenno, died. _

_All i could think to do, was hug him. So i did. I turned, looked him in the eyes, and hugged him the best way i knew. My way. He buried his neck into the crook between my neck and shoulders, and just breathed. I lay my head down on his shoulder, completely oblivious to the world around us. _

_**end of flashback**_

That's why i hadn't noticed my stalker brothers taking our picture, but now, im kinda glad they did. I was snapped out of my reverie by Beckendorf.

"Hey, Emily, so uh, heads up, in case you didn't know, but, you're in Elysium," he told me, probably scared that i'd freak out and cry or whatever. But really? It didn't come as much of a shock to me. It wasn't like those cheesy stories where the person doesn't remember how they died, i knew exactly what had happened.

After i climbed the rail, i got scared. I started to step down, but i lost my balance. There's nothing else to that story. I fell, and i died. That's it. That's all. It was an accident.

"I know," i said. I'd already accepted the fact that i wouldn't be going back to my moms apartment tonight. Tonight. Oh, i'd probably be getting a visit from Nico, or Hades himself. That would be fun.

"Wanna tell me why?" came a voice from behind the crowd. "Wanna tell me why you're dead, Emily?" asked Lee, coming through the separated crowd.

"i-I," my words got caught in my throat. "It was an accident," i finally managed.

"I appreciate you guys being here and all, but, can i have a few moments alone with Emily?" asked Lee, looking from person to person. In about thirty seconds, the room was cleared. "Oh Em, what happened?" he asked, walking towards the end of the bed.

"I fell off a bridge," i said, laughing coolly, just realizing how ironic it was.

"Yeah, i saw that part. Now what were you doing, Emily? Why were you climbing that rail? Why?" he asked, sitting down on the bed, looking at me with sad eyes.

"I guess i didn't realize what was happening, before i was falling. You know that feeling you get when you're on a roller coaster, and you do a flip, and then its like, suddenly you're upside down? That's what i remembered. That's what it felt like. It didn't hurt, because, i guess at that point, i realize that i'd be seeing you on the other side," i explained, finally being able to put my thoughts into words.

"Emily, I'm so sorry. That's all i can say, it's all I've been thinking since August. If i had never been so stupid, then i'd still be alive, and so would you. I wouldn't have had to worry about you everyday, trying not to think of the things you were doing to yourself. Distancing yourself, keeping yourself closed off, Em, that's not you. Do you know how hard it was, to watch you try and make it through everyday, when i knew that it was my fault that you were like that? And that i had just left you on earth, without one single goodbye?" he asked me.

"I don't know what to do, Lee, i didn't want to die yet. What's my dad going to think? My siblings? Nobody's going to know that it was an accident. I'm not suicidal," i gushed out. I felt a few salty tears run down my cheeks, but Lee made no move to stop them.

"I know you didn't, Emily. Who does? Who really wants to die? Life on the other side, well, it's nothing, without the one you love," he answered, crawling into the covers beside me, but still not touching me. It almost seemed like he didn't know if i was really here, and if he touched me, then i'd disappear.

"I'm here, Lee. I'm dead, whether i like it or not. And nothing's going to change that," i whispered, turning on my side to face him. He was looking at me intently, with those green-blue eyes.

"This isn't what i wanted, for us, yenno. I wanted us to get married, maybe have a family. Live as long as we could. Teach our kids about the Gods, and their heritage, take them to camp, let them train, fight monsters, maybe let them go on a quest. Watch them fall in love, get married, and then, maybe, go visit our dads. I don't know, but i wanted to have a life with you. That's all i ever wanted, but was it too much to ask for?" he told me, running a hand through my hair.

"Sometimes, you just gotta take what life throws in your face. Or, i guess, what life pushes you into. In our case, life pushed us both off of the Williamsburg bridge," i said, sighing at the end.

Lee was about to say something, but someone beat him to it.

"Oh! Emily, i found this addressed to you. It was uh, in your room," said Silena, walking in. I gave Lee a look.

"My what?" i hissed at Lee. He blushed.

"When i was assigned my apartment by Hades, there were two bedrooms. One had my name on the door, and the other had yours. We're in mine, as you can probably tell," he whispered back, rubbing his neck in embarrassment, but all i did was laugh.

I sat up, and looked at Silena. She was holding a bright red balloon.

"Silena, what ...?" was all i could get out before she handed me the balloon, and i took it though i hear obvious protesting from Lee. When i had finally read the message, he sighed.

"I was going to give it to you later. As in like, later in life. I didn't think that you'd die so quickly, and i certainly didn't think that Silena would go snooping around in your room without permission," he said, shooting a glare at Silena, who was smiling like a five year old with a lollipop as big as their head.

I sat there, still reading the message, over and over.

_Will you marry me, Em?_

The message was replaying over in my mind, in Lee's voice, until i realized that he was asking me.

"Will you marry me, Em?" he asked.

"Lee ... what? Well, yeah, I'll marry you, but ... I'm still so confused about what's going on. I think i need to talk to Nico, or Hades, and then my dad. My dad will definitely want to know what happened. I'm kinda scared, Lee, to be honest," i said, once my head was screwed back on and i was paying attention.

"It's ok, Emily, it's ok. I promise that everything will be alright, but it might take a while," he said, putting his left hand on my cheek. I leaned into his touch and he smiled.

"I'm not as perfect as you'd like to think i am," i told him, "I mean look, i jumped off a bridge," i said, smiling sadly. He knew what i was like, he knew who i was, but i could still scare him away like i did everyone else at camp. What can i say? Losing the person you love can change you. And having that person back, well, I've already changed, and i can't go back.

"Believe me, neither am i," he said, "and look, i _fell_ off of a bridge, you, at least, had the choice," he said, reflecting the same sad smile.

"I guess that's true," i whispered, "But I've changed, Lee. You haven't," i replied.

"I don't care, we'll make it work," he told me, determination in his voice.

Then, well, he kissed me. What else was there to do? We hadn't seen each other in a year and four days, yes, i counted. And to be really honest, i missed him like crazy. I missed his smile, his eyes, his face, his hair, his smell, everything about him.

When we broke for air, i saw him in a new light. I don't know whether it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, or whether i was becoming insane, but i could've sworn that i saw him glowing. Not like, 'omigods im going to die' glowing, like 'I'm the happiest man in the world right now' glowing. And to tell the truth, it suited him.

"I know I'm a daughter of Hermes, and i know we're not the best at keeping our promises, but i promise you, Lee Fletcher, that we'll make this work," i told him, staring his dead in the eyes.

"You know, every time you say something it makes me think of a song?" he asked, an amused smile playing on his face.

"Really now? What song is it this time?" i asked, giggling a bit.

"Give me a sec, and I'll show you," he said, unwrapping himself from my arms, the covers, and the bed, and standing up to grab his guitar. Once he sat down again, he smiled. "I haven't played for you in a long, long time," he commented.

"That's not true. You played for me today, this morning. You sang me Far Away by Nickelback," i said, giving him a slight smile while laying back on the pillows.

"You heard that?" he asked, blushing like mad.

"And every other song that you've played since last august," i teased. He turned even more crimson, if that was possible.

"How?"

"Blame the Ipod," i said, giving him a wink. "Now play me that song," i demanded, getting back to my usual self, and i couldn't help but smile.

_Just smile back. _

**OMIGODS! It's finally finished D: i think I'm going to go cry in a corner now. I'm so sad, i just love this story (and not just because i wrote it). But anyways, thank you guys for reading, and please review, let me know what you thought of it! Flames are accepted, and if you have any tips, please PM me and let me know(:**

**-Swimmergirl3 **


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